NASA’s Juno Captures Record-Breaking Volcanic Eruption on Jupiter’s Moon Io – Indian Defence Review

NASA’s Juno spacecraft has detected an unprecedented volcanic eruption on Jupiter’s moon Io. The event was so intense that it overwhelmed the spacecraft’s sensors, leaving scientists astonished.Jupiter’s moon Io, the most volcanically active world in the Solar System, has just shattered records with a volcanic event so intense that it overwhelmed NASA’s Juno spacecraft sensors. The eruption, covering an area the size of Kentucky, produced an estimated 80 trillion watts of energy, making it the most powerful volcanic event ever recorded on Io.Io’s violent geology is fueled by the relentless gravitational forces of Jupiter and its other large moons, which stretch and squeeze the moon, keeping its interior molten. This internal heat drives Io’s more than 400 active volcanoes, some of which produce lava lakes thousands of square miles in size.For decades, the most dominant volcanic feature has been Loki Patera, a 20,000-square-kilometer (7,000-square-mile) lava lake. But Juno’s latest flyby on December 27, 2024, revealed something even bigger. The spacecraft’s JIRAM infrared camera detected a massive hotspot in Io’s southern hemisphere, so intense that it saturated the detector.Scientists were shocked by what they saw. The hotspot covered over 100,000 square kilometers (40,000 square miles)—an area larger than Iceland. But even more astonishing was its immense energy output, suggesting a vast underground magma system.“JIRAM detected an event of extreme infrared radiance—a massive hot spot—so strong that it saturated our detector,” said Alessandro Mura, Juno co-investigator from the National Institute for Astrophysics in Rome.“We have evidence that what we detected is actually a few closely spaced hot spots that emitted at the same time, suggestive of a subsurface vast magma chamber system. The data supports that this is the most intense volcanic eruption ever recorded on Io.”Juno had previously conducted close flybys of Io in December 2023 and February 2024, getting within 1,500 kilometers (930 miles) of its surface. During this latest flyby, Juno was much farther—74,400 kilometers (46,200 miles) away—yet the eruption was so massive that it was still clearly visible. Even the spacecraft’s JunoCam, designed primarily for public outreach rather than scientific research, could see the dramatic changes.“Juno had two really close flybys of Io during its extended mission,” said Scott Bolton, Juno’s principal investigator at the Southwest Research Institute in San Antonio.“And while each flyby provided data on the tormented moon that exceeded our expectations, the data from this latest—and more distant—flyby really blew our minds. This is the most powerful volcanic event ever recorded on the most volcanic world in our Solar System—so that’s really saying something.”Juno will continue its mission around Jupiter, with its next close encounter with Io scheduled for March 3, 2025. While it won’t get as close as before, scientists hope to detect lingering signs of this record-breaking eruption to learn more about Io’s volcanic processes.“While it is always great to witness events that rewrite the record books, this new hot spot can potentially do much more,” Bolton added.“The intriguing feature could improve our understanding of volcanism not only on Io but on other worlds as well.”NASA’s Juno is now in the final months of its mission, with its last planned encounter with Jupiter on September 17, 2025. As the NASA spacecraft continues to send back groundbreaking discoveries, Io’s explosive volcanic activity proves that the Solar System still has plenty of surprises in storeGot a reaction? Share your thoughts in the commentsEnjoyed this article? Subscribe to our free Newsletter for engaging stories, exclusive content, and the latest newsComment Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

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